Patrol

Utah Officer Shot, Killed Attempting to Arrest Fugitive

Officer Joseph Shinners of the Provo (UT) Police Department was shot and killed Saturday while trying to arrest a fugitive. (Photo: Provo PD)

A Provo, UT, police officer was shot and killed Saturday night in Orem while attempting to arrest a fugitive who reportedly had been threatening violence toward law enforcement.

The suspect, a 40-year-old man, was wounded in the shooting, Provo police Detective Nick Dupaix told the Salt Lake Tribune, and is being treated at Utah Valley Hospital — the same hospital where 29-year-old Officer Joseph Shinners died from his injuries.

The suspect is under guard at the hospital and will face multiple criminal charges, possibly including aggravated murder of a police officer, Orem Police Chief Gary Giles said at a Sunday news conference.

Officials said they were not going to identify the suspect Sunday. The focus, they said, should be on honoring Shinners, a three-year veteran of the force who leaves behind a wife and 1-year-old son.

Trooper Nic Cederberg with the Oregon State Police was awarded a National Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor on Wednesday during a White House ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump. The award is the highest national award for valor a public safety officer can receive.

The Torrington (CT) Police Department said on Facebook that a man wanted on warrants for failing to appear in court on charges that range from breach of peace to risk of injury to a child has made a deal with the agency if his wanted poster on Facebook gets 15,000 "likes."